


True Love's Sacrifice

by ami_ven



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Community: romancingmcshep, M/M, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-25
Updated: 2018-02-25
Packaged: 2019-03-23 19:22:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13794546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ami_ven/pseuds/ami_ven
Summary: A dying queen, a dashing knight (or three), a brilliant alchemist, an epic quest, a ferocious dragon, a powerful artifact – and a happy ending.





	True Love's Sacrifice

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the LJ/DW community "romancingmcshep" challenge, prompt from "kagekanecavi" ([here](https://romancingmcshep.dreamwidth.org/45533.html?thread=369373#cmt369373))

As the Queen’s Council bade polite farewells and withdrew, one man moved in the opposite direction, seizing the chief healer by the arm as he gathered his papers.

“All right, Carson, how is she _really_?”

Duke Carson of Beckett frowned. “I dinnae know what you’re talking about, John.”

“You’re still a terrible liar,” said Sir John Sheppard. “I know why you don’t want Minister Woolsey and General Landry to know how bad it is, but as Captain of the Queen’s Guard, I need to know the truth.”

The healer studied him for a moment, then nodded. “Aye, you’re right. Not because of your rank, but because you’re her friend.”

“Of course I am,” said John. “Is it really that bad?”

“I’m afraid so,” Carson told him. “This illness… we knew it wasn’t natural, but I can’t find any evidence that it’s magical, either. It’s not a curse or a spell or an enchantment, at least not one that I can find.”

“Then there’s nothing you can do?”

“Nothing that I haven’t already tried. This is like nothing I’ve ever seen, John.”

The knight took a deep breath, leaning on the back of a chair. “There may be something,” he said, after a long moment. “I hadn’t wanted to bring it up if there was a chance for you to heal her the normal way, but from what you’re saying, there’s not much hope.”

“You know of a way to heal her?” asked Carson, skeptically.

“Maybe. The _Zele Paratonnerre le Mieux_.”

“That’s just a myth! Ye can’t possibly –”

“What other option do we have?” interrupted John. “So many rumors, Carson, they can’t all be untrue.”

“And if even half of them are, it’ll be certain death,” said Carson. “Those legends say that the bloody thing is all the way on the other side of the Pegasus Mountains and that land is all controlled by the Wraith tribes. It’s impossible.”

John offered him a cocky grin. “I’ve done impossible before.”

The healer smiled back. “Aye, I know you have.”

Unlike Carson, who had inherited his title from his father, John’s position was entirely based on his own merit. He had come to the palace as just what his name implied – ‘Sheppard’ was the country spelling of ‘shepherd’ – a scrawny ten-year-old determined to begin his training as a page. The training had always been open to children of commoners as well as nobles, but John was the first herder’s son who had actually attempted it.

Lord Stephen of Caldwell, the kingdom’s training master, had been against it but John had succeeded beyond anyone’s expectations. He had passed his page tests with one of the highest scores on record, second only to Lady Knight Samantha of Carter. And his out-of-the box thinking had caught the attention of Sir Jack of Neill – then Commander of the Astrian Army, under the command of General Sir George of Hammond – who made a rare appearance at court to take John as his squire.

John had continued with the army after he’d earned his knighthood, but when Elizabeth had been crowned queen, Sir George had retired, Sir Jack had taken command of the army, and Lady Knight Samantha had been named commander in his place – and John had been personally named to the newly-formed Queen’s Guard. He had briefly served under Sir Marshall of Sumner, a holdover from the King’s Guard, under the previous ruler, a cousin of Elizabeth’s, before the incident that had cost the older knight’s death and left John in command.

It had not earned John many friends in Astria’s court, but the queen’s closest friends and advisors, like Carson, knew the truth.

“Aye,” the healer repeated. “But this isn’t an enemy you can beat in single combat, John. This will be a _quest_ , something straight out of the legends of old! You can’t do something like _this_ all on your own.”

“I know,” said John. “And I already know who I’m going to take with me.”

*

“Are you insane!?”

John leaned against the rough wooden workbench, smirking. “You know, you ask me that a lot, Rodney. And, yet, you’re going to come with me.”

“Well, of course I am,” grumbled Lord Rodney of Kay, the royal alchemist. “If I don’t, you’ll go and get yourself killed doing something stupid.”

“I thought you said this _was_ something stupid?” John said, mostly for the sake of arguing – Rodney had already agreed to come, after all.

“Oh, it is,” the other man assured him. “No one is even sure that the ZedPM is real!”

“The what?” said John.

Rodney glared. “The _Zele Paratonnerre le Mieux_ ,” he said, his pronunciation much better than John’s. “Don’t you think that if someone, anyone, knew where to find a source of unlimited magical energy, we’d have heard about it?”

“Unless it was hidden.”

“Unless it was… You think you know where it is, don’t you?”

“Yep,” said John. “Or thereabouts. But I’m going to need someone with at least a small amount of knowledge about magical artifacts to—”

“I am the foremost expert on magical artifacts, as well you know,” snapped Rodney. “I suppose there’s no talking you out of this, is there?”

“Elizabeth is dying,” John said, softly. “There’s nothing else to be done.”

Rodney was silent for a moment. “And whereabouts is ‘thereabouts’?”

“The High Mountains,” said John. 

“You mean the mountains infested with life-sucking undead creatures?”

John frowned. “The Wraith are fully alive, for one, and I’m not sure ‘infesting’ is the right word.”

“Thereabouts” Rodney repeated, then closed his eyes as though the thought was physically painful. “This is a disaster and we’re going to _die_ ,” he groaned. “Who else have you conned into this madness?”

John smiled. “Just you, so far. But I was thinking we’d take along Teyla and Ronon.”

“Well,” said Rodney, with a pleased little flush, as though he wasn’t the first person John went to, for any reason. 

Lady Knight Teyla Emmagan was a member of the Athosian tribe that lived in the southern Pegasus Desert. She had given up her place as one of their leaders to join Elizabeth’s court, where she was renowned for both her diplomacy and her fighting ability. Sir Ronon Dex had once been a soldier in the kingdom of Sateda, before it was destroyed by the Wraith. Eventually, he had ended up in Astria, and one of Elizabeth’s last royal decrees before she’d gotten sick had been to make Ronon a knight of their realm.

Both had fought alongside John before, helping defend the borders of Astria from the bands of Wraith marauders in the mountains beyond, and both were too practical to follow John if they didn’t believe that his quest was at least possible.

“Well,” said Rodney, again. “With them along, at least we’ll die fighting.”

“That’s the spirit,” John grinned. “We leave at dawn.”

*

The sun was only just starting to glow above the horizon when John met the others in the palace courtyard. There was a slight delay as they redistributed Rodney’s spell books and scrolls between the four of them – “We _need_ these, Sheppard, do you want to face gods-only-know what kind of magical traps without them?” – then, they were on their way.

It was a clear, calm day. The weather was on their side, warm and sunny, but with intermittent clouds and a cool breeze that made it comfortable to ride in full armor. It was so much like any of their previous forays, riding out to take care of a Wraith nest, that John could almost forget the desperation of their cause. 

Elizabeth had been young when she’d taken the throne, more concerned with securing her power and ensuring the wellbeing of her people than with finding a consort and providing an heir. She had been a distant heir herself, second cousin to the old king, though a resident of his court her whole life, and had needed to prove that she could govern as well as – if not better, John always thought – than he had.

Then, she had gotten sick, and there had been no cure. Duke Carson had tried every elixir and treatment he knew, had consulted every healer or magician who would reply to his letters, but nothing had helped. Elizabeth’s health had steadily deteriorated, until she could hardly leave her bed and even the briefest audience would exhaust her.

“Hey.”

John was startled out of his thoughts when Rodney rode up beside him. The alchemist was not comfortable in the saddle, not the way the three knights were, but he hadn’t complained, and John managed a smile. “Should I be worried there isn’t more whining from you?”

“I do not whine, captain,” Rodney snapped, “And I’d certainly feel better about this entire endeavor if we weren’t following myths and rumors.”

“Now, Rodney,” drawled John. “I’d have thought you’d be impressed by the feat of scholarship that got us here. Astrian legends only talked about what the ZPM was – along with some irrelevant and frankly terrible poetry – so it wasn’t until I looked up the _Athosian_ myths that we knew where it was.”

“On top of a dead mountain surrounded by Wraith,” said Rodney.

John snorted. “You wouldn’t be here if you didn’t agree that this was our only chance.”

“That doesn’t mean it’s a _good_ idea,” Rodney protested. “Just that it’s our _only_ one.” Then his expression softened. “Look, I’m not sure I believe that this ZedPM actually exists, or that if it does, it will be anything that could possibly cure Elizabeth, but… if there _is_ some powerful magical cure-all, I have no doubt that you’ll be the one to find it.”

This time, John’s smile was more genuine. “That almost sounds like you believe in me,” he said.

Rodney snorted, and nudged his horse to ride with Teyla, farther ahead.

They pitched camp just beyond the border of Astria, at the foothill of the Mountains that divided their country from the rest of the continent. The mountains were rocky and sparsely forested, home to nothing larger than squirrels and rabbits, except for bands of Wraith who hibernated for months at a time before ranging to attack the surrounding villages.

“I will take the first watch,” said Teyla, and John nodded.

Normally when they rode out like this, each knight carried a lightweight but waterproof lean-to, but John had left his behind to make room for Rodney’s spell books, so he felt justified in unfurling his bedroll into the alchemist’s lopsided shelter. Rodney had already flopped, face-down, onto his own bedroll, and only managed a half-hearted protest when John wriggled into his space.

“Some of us are trying to _sleep_ , captain,” he grumbled, even as he shifted over to give John more room. “Dragged out of bed before the sun, I tell you…”

John smiled into his bedroll, his back warm where it pressed against Rodney’s. “We’ll be up even earlier tomorrow,” he said, and managed not to laugh when Rodney swatted at him.

*

They crossed the mountain as the sun rose, but the sunlight didn’t seem as warm as it had the day before. Even Rodney was quiet, keeping his horse tucked beside John’s as the trees thinned and trail grew rockier. 

Finally, the path was too steep and they were forced to dismount. Rodney sorted through his books for the ones he deemed absolutely necessary, and they set off again on foot.

“Be alert,” warned Teyla, who had always had a great intuition about an approaching enemy.

As they walked, the trees vanished entirely, and the scrubby bushes scattered around seemed unusually bare.

“It’s spring,” said Ronon, stopping to touch a branch, which crumbled in his hand. “Things should be growing, not dying.”

Rodney shook his head. “There’s magic nearby, ancient and powerful – almost certainly the ZedPM – but there’s also something else, something—”

“Look out!” yelled John, yanking Rodney out of the way, just as a huge plume of fire shot by overhead.

“This thing is guarded by _fire_!?” the alchemist yelped.

An ear-splitting roar sent pebbles skittering down the path.

“Not just fire, buddy,” said John, weakly.

“Nobody said there would be dragons!” protested Rodney. “ _Dragons_ , I tell you…”

John kept a firm grip on Rodney’s sleeve, towing him to crouch in the safety a large rock outcropping, beside Teyla and Ronon. Just beyond, he could see an enormous creature, at least twenty feet long, covered in silvery-blue scales, with huge leathery wings. It roared again, spewing more fire over their heads.

“Please don’t tell me the ancient magic you were sensing is on the other side of that?” John pleaded.

“Well, of course it is!” said Rodney. 

John ducked out from hiding for a better look. Ahead, the trail widened into a kind of valley, probably about fifty yards wide, bordered by high stone cliffs. On the far side, an archway had been cut into the rock face, carved with odd symbols. John thought he recognized some of them from the Old Language that Rodney used in his alchemy, to seal secret orders and packages for the army.

“Then we have to get past it,” said John. “Also, it’s probably sealed with magic.”

“Of course it is,” the alchemist muttered.

John ignored him. “Teyla, stay with him, watch his back. Ronon, with me, we’re the distraction.”

“Sheppard—” Rodney began, but John was already moving.

He settled his shield even as he sprang out from behind the rocks, sword raised, and felt Ronon fall into position beside him. The dragon roared again, and the two knights dived apart as a blast of fire shot between them. John rolled farther when a huge talon slammed into the ground beside him, scrabbling to his feet to evade a second claw-tipped paw. 

On the third swipe, he struck out with his sword, half-surprised when it struck hard scales. The dragon roared – in pain this time – then again, when Ronon’s sword struck its hindquarters. The blows didn’t seem to do much damage, bleeding about as much as a human papercut, but at least they had the creature’s full attention, leading it away from the side of the canyon where Rodney and Teyla had gone.

Then, the dragon’s tail was suddenly whipping through the air, catching John’s shield and sending him tumbling across the ground. He landed with a painful thump in a pile of heavy iron chain, attached to a ring bolted deep in the cliff.

“Ronon!” he yelled, dodging another swipe of huge claws. “I’ve got a plan!”

“About time,” Ronon said.

“Can you keep it distracted?” asked John, choosing to ignore that. “Close to the ground?”

The other man grinned. “Sure.”

Ronon let out a war cry and charged the dragon, leading it around to the side of the valley. John grabbed the chain and looped several lengths around his shoulder, then turned to the cliff face. It was craggy enough that he could scale it, but it was slow going, especially with the weight of the chain.

Then, a chunk of rock directly overhead glowed suddenly blue, before shooting out a foot from the rest of the cliff. More chunks followed, one by one, leading upwards – John risked a glance backwards, to where Rodney was standing in front of the carved doorway, hands glowing the same color blue with his magic.

“Go, Sheppard!” the alchemist yelled.

John climbed faster, lugging the chain, but the dragon was flapping its enormous wings and keeping itself out of reach. Above John’s head, a much larger chunk of rock glowed blue and rose into the air, then another, arcing up and over the dragon, then dropping suddenly. The dragon roared, sinking back toward the ground, and John threw the heavy chain as hard as he could.

It worked – the links slithered over the scales to the dragon’s far side, where Ronon grabbed it, dragging the chain back around its legs, then tossing it – much easier, John noted, a little jealous – back up to him to throw again. The dragon tried to dodge them, but Rodney kept dropping boulders and the creature was forced to fly lower, where it was easily tangled in the chain.

Finally, it thumped to the ground, wings and feet completely ensnared. There was a long moment of silence, as though the knights were waiting for it to break free, but the dragon simply gave one last wrench against the chains and went limp, eyes closed.

“Sheppard!” Rodney staggered over to him, looking tired the way he always did when he used too much magic at once. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” said John. He ached all over and one sleeve of his tunic was more than a little singed, but he was more or less unhurt. “And I thought I told _you_ to get through that enchantment.”

“First,” Rodney snapped, “you clearly needed my help to defeat this thing. And second, that enchantment is like nothing I’ve ever seen. It will take hours to get through, maybe days.”

“Elizabeth may not have days,” pointed out Teyla.

“Can’t you just blast through it?” Ronon asked.

Rodney scowled. “Sure, if I wanted to collapse the whole mountain on us.”

“Or,” said John, “we could just ask the dragon.”

In unison, the other three turned to stare at the creature, who still lay flat on the ground, wrapped in chains. Slowly, it cracked open one eye, lifting its head to regard them levelly. 

“How do you know I can talk?” it asked, in a light but clearly masculine voice.

“You _can_ talk,” said Rodney.

“But you didn’t know that,” said the dragon, then narrowed his eyes. “How did you know that?”

John shrugged. “Because if you can do math, I figured you could communicate somehow.”

He gestured toward the cliff, just beyond where John had climbed. There were marks etched into the rock, some worn by weather, some fresh, in a pattern that was easily recognizable as mathematics, even if John didn’t know all of the symbols.

“That is very clever, sir knight,” he said.

“I have my moments,” said John. “Now, how do we retrieve the ZPM?”

“The what?” asked the dragon.

“The _Zele Paratonnerre le Mieux_ ,” said Rodney. “The enchantments sealing the chamber are old and complicated. I _could_ break them, but it will take time we just don’t have.”

“So,” added John. “Tell us how to break the enchantment, and we’ll let you live.”

The dragon closed his eyes, lowering his head again. “Then you must do what you must. I could not help you, even if I wanted to. This magic is older even than you know, and far too powerful.”

John looked at the creature for a long moment. Then, he said, “Ronon, help me set him loose.”

“Set him _loose_?” Rodney repeated.

The dragon seemed just as confused. “You said you would kill me.”

“I’m not in the habit of killing prisoners,” said John, scowling. “Especially when they didn’t attack me of their own will.”

“John?” said Teyla, softly.

“The chains are his,” said John. “Keeping him here.”

One end of the long chain they had used to bind the dragon was fastened to the stone cliff, but the other was attached to an iron shackle around his back leg, clearly too tight and biting into the skin there.

“But I did not help you,” the dragon protested.

“Would you have, if you could?” asked Teyla.

“Yes, of course, but…”

“Ronon,” said John. “C’mon.”

The chains came off easily, with the two humans to help, but the shackle was locked around the dragon’s leg. “This might hurt,” said Rodney, resting both palms against it. The shackle glowed blue, then clattered to the ground.

The dragon spread his wings, then settled them against his back. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” the knight replied. “I’m Sir John Sheppard, of the kingdom of Astria and the city of Atlantis. This is Lady Knight Teyla of Athos, Sir Ronon Dex, and Duke Rodney of Kay.”

“I am called Radek,” said the dragon. “And I _would_ help you, truly. But this place is not my doing, nor even my master’s.”

“I should like to find _him_ ,” Rodney said, darkly. “That shackle was a piece of work – _intended_ to cause pain! Inhumane, even if the prisoner isn’t human.”

Radek frowned, showing sharp teeth. “Please do not. He is named Kolya, a practitioner of the darkest arts known to humans or dragons. I was spared only because he needed me here, to guard the… what did you call it? ZPM?”

Teyla frowned. “But if this sorcerer did not set the enchantment, how did he get into the chamber?”

“He didn’t,” said Radek. “No one did. A few tried, but the price was too high.”

“Price?” repeated Ronon.

“All magic has a price,” said Rodney. “The more complicated the spell, the more energy it needs.” He frowned and turned to the dragon. “I will have you know that I am one of the most powerful alchemists in the known realms.”

Radek shook his head. “It is not power this enchantment requires. The price for this spell is very specific. To claim its treasure, one must give up the feeling for the person or thing that they care about most in the world.”

“Then others have tried?” asked Teyla, as they gathered around the archway, peering into the darkness within

“Yes, many,” said Radek. “I have been trapped here for many years and in the beginning, I did not prevent seekers from crossing this valley. And I did not at first realize what had happened. The writing on the doorway is an old language, and it was difficult to translate.”

“Aren’t _dragons_ old?” Rodney demanded.

“I am only a young dragon,” said Radek. “And it was difficult to examine the inscription carefully from so far away. But perhaps now…”

When the end of his sentence didn’t come after a few seconds, John turned to look at him – and his hand went immediately to his sheathed sword.

A man stood behind them, wearing an old-fashioned tunic, blue with silver trim. He was about Teyla’s height, with short brown hair. He raised his hands, unthreateningly. “My apologies, captain,” he said, with the dragon’s voice, “I did not mean to startle you.”

John frowned. “Radek?”

“Yes,” said the man, who had been a dragon a moment ago. “Did I not say I could change into human shape?”

“You did not!” Rodney squawked.

“It is a fairly common skill for a dragon. I could not transform while Kolya kept me prisoner.” He rolled his shoulders. “I am a little stiff, I think.”

“Okay,” said John. “You’re a dragon _and_ a person. What were you saying about this chamber?”

“Yes, yes, of course,” said Radek. “Yes, it seems I was right. The inscription describes what one must do to enter.”

“So, it’s a warning,” said Ronon.

The dragon nodded. “It names the price for retrieving what lies within – the ZPM, I believe you are correct in that.”

“But no one has succeeded?” John asked.

Radek shrugged. “No one has taken the object, or even entered the chamber. It changes them, that kind of magic. What they would require so great a power to achieve is the very thing it requires from them. One who wishes to rule a kingdom, now no longer cares about having that power. One who wishes to save a sick loved one, now no longer feels anything for that person. Why do they bother, they ask themselves. Wielding that much power is difficult and dangerous, why should they take the risk?”

“But they _could_ ,” pressed John. “Pay the price and still use the ZPM, if there were others to remind them of what they needed?”

“I do not see why not,” said Radek.

John squared his shoulders. “Okay, then.”

“Okay what?” demanded Rodney.

“This is Elizabeth’s last chance,” said John. “There are no other cures, no other magic. It’s this, or nothing. So, I want the three of you to stay back, we don’t know what kind of range this has. Then, once it… once it’s worked, I need you to make sure I get the ZPM and we high-tail it back home.”

Teyla put both hands on John’s shoulders, waiting until he touched his forehead to hers in the respectful gesture of her people. “Gods be with you, John.”

Ronon clapped his shoulder. “We’ll be here.”

“Wait, wait, _no_ ,” spluttered Rodney. “Sheppard, you _can’t_.” 

“If you have something else, Rodney,” said John, “now would be a good time.”

“I don’t – it isn’t – it should be me!”

There was silence for a long moment. Then, John said, softly, “What?”

“It should be me,” Rodney repeated, more calmly. “It can’t be Ronon, because he’s the last person from Sateda and even I know that keeping their memory alive is the most important thing to him. Especially his lady, um…”

“Melena,” John supplied.

“Right, her. We can’t let him stop caring about her. And it can’t be Teyla, she’s got Torren now.”

John nodded. “I lost my mom when I was a kid, but I knew she loved me. Still having her, and knowing she didn’t care about him…”

“Exactly,” said Rodney. “And you… It will just be easier this way, trust me.”

“I do trust you,” John said. “But how would it be easier if I don’t…?”

“Look, I know you think I’m terrible at people and emotions and stuff, but I get it, okay? So, this will be easier, for everyone. I’ll open the door, take the ZPM, I’ll still trust Teyla and Ronon, they can help me get back to Atlantis and heal Elizabeth, and you two can… can be happy.”

“What?” said John. “You think… Rodney, I do love Elizabeth, but not like that. I don’t – she’s my _queen_. She convinced the king to knight me, when we were just kids. She never treated me like I was less than the knights who were noble-born, she gave me command of the Guard. But if I take the ZPM… it wouldn’t be Elizabeth I stopped caring about.”

Rodney blinked. “But it has to be Elizabeth. You don’t even spend any significant amount of time with anyone except… Oh.”

“Yeah.” John smiled, sadly. “I didn’t want to make things weird – I know you had a thing for Lady Knight Samantha, and now you’ve got a thing with Lady Jennifer.”

“No I don’t!” protested Rodney. “Okay, maybe I did have a thing for Sam, she’s very… Look, that’s not the point! The _point_ is that the person I care about most isn’t Sam _or_ Jennifer, captain, it’s you!”

“Me?” John repeated. He took a deep breath, “But that doesn’t change anything. It still has to be me.”

“No, it doesn’t!” said Rodney. “There’s nothing that says this is permanent and you… I’m sure you could charm me all over once I’ve done this. But I don’t even know what I did to make you fall for me – how am I supposed to do it again?” 

John’s expression shifted to a wobbly smile. “Just be yourself, Rodney. I’m sorry.”

Rodney’s eyes widened. “Don’t you dare, you stupid—”

Both of them stepped into the archway, crossing the barrier at exactly the same moment. The symbols glowed a clear bright blue – then the entire opening erupted into blinding golden light. Teyla, Ronon and Radek all turned away at the intensity, until it burst in a wave of heat and vanished.

Past the opening where John and Rodney stood was a small chamber, on a few feet square. Against the far wall stood a simple wood table holding a large yellow-and-orange crystal.

Teyla blinked against the afterglow of the light. “John?” she asked. “Rodney?”

“I…” Rodney began. “What _was_ that?”

“That has never happened before,” said Radek. “How do you feel?”

John frowned. “I don’t feel any differently.”

“Neither do I,” Rodney added. “I still feel the same as before.”

“But the doorway opened,” the captain said. “How could it, if it didn’t take our feelings?”

He looked up, suddenly worried. “Teyla?”

She smiled. “I still love Torren, do not fear. Though I have no answer to this magic, John.”

“I do,” said Ronon. When they all turned to look at him, he said, “Melena was a healer, she studied magic. I learned a bit.”

“What do you suspect?” asked Radek.

He shrugged. “Way I heard it, only one thing breaks all kinds of spells like this, powerful or nasty ones. True Love.”

Radek brightened. “Not only True Love, but _True Love’s Sacrifice_. See, how each was willing to give up love out of love for the other? It overpowered even the ancient magic of the chamber. How fantastic!” 

“You will be free to study it another time,” said Teyla. “Now, we must return to Atlantis, quickly.”

“Yes, right,” said Rodney. He ducked into the chamber and picked up the crystal, cradling it gently. “I can… I can sense its power. But it feels… incomplete?”

“Well, of course,” said Radek. “You must wield it together. You are bound now.”

“Bound?” John repeated. “Rodney, I don’t… I wouldn’t hold you to any—”

Rodney, still holding the ZPM in one arm, used his free hand to seize the front of John’s tunic and pull him in for a fierce kiss. “You idiot,” he said, with deep affection. “We’re getting married the second Elizabeth is well enough to perform the ceremony.”

“Married?” said John, sounding a little dazed. “I – okay.”

“We need to get back to the palace,” said Rodney, still grinning at John, then he seemed to realize what he’d said. “We need to get back to the palace! Sheppard, you always ride like a madman, you take the ZedPM and—”

“We need to go together,” John interrupted.

“I have a solution,” said Radek. He smiled, then in a flash and a rustle of wings, he was back in dragon shape. “I can fly much faster than a horse can ride, even after so many years.”

“Ronon and I will bring the horses back,” offered Teyla. “Go, and good luck.”

Radek crouched so that they could climb onto his back, holding onto the joints of his wings as he took to the air. Rodney, the ZPM now secure in the pack from his saddle, clung tightly to John, until he realized that John wasn’t holding on to anything himself.

“You’re _enjoying_ this,” he complained, in John’s ear.

“Flying, Rodney,” the captain replied. “It’s…”

“Yeah,” Rodney said. He didn’t understand, but he could see the look on John’s face. “Yeah.”

*

It was a tricky operation, landing a dragon on the palace grounds, but Rodney was able to convince Carson by scrying stone enough that they were allowed down unharmed. Once on the ground, Radek returned to human shape, to the amazement of the guards.

“We’ll have time for the whole story later,” John promised Sir Stephen. “But we need to get to Her Majesty, now.”

Carson met them at the doorway of the queen’s chamber, looking frazzled. “Did ye really come on a _dragon_?” he demanded.

“Yes, his name’s Radek, that’s him,” said Rodney. “How is she?”

“Not well,” the healer replied, then frowned. “Wait, _he’s_ the dragon?”

Radek held out his hand. “Well met, sir.”

“Likewise,” said Carson, vaguely.

“We don’t have time!” snapped Rodney. “John, give me the ZedPM.”

Elizabeth was unconscious, paler even than the white linen sheets of her bed, except for the lines of wicked-looking black tendrils spreading across her neck and shoulders.

“Are we too late?” asked John, standing beside the bed with the ZPM.

“Only one way to find out,” said Rodney.

He reached out to cover John’s hands on the crystal, which glowed brightly between them. Then _Elizabeth_ began to glow, her skin regaining color as they watched, the black tendrils fading like vanishing ink. John wasn’t sure how much time had passed when the ZPM’s light began to fade, then went out completely.

There was a moment of silence. “Is she…?” Rodney began – and Elizabeth gasped, her eyes flying open.

Carson hurried forward. “Elizabeth?”

She sat up, blinking at them. “What happened?”

“It’s a long story,” said John. “How do you feel?”

“I – fine,” she said, surprised. “I feel _great_.”

“Aye,” said Carson. He rested a hand on her shoulder, letting his magic check her over. “I can’t detect a trace of your illness, lass.”

“But how?” Elizabeth looked around at them. “John, Rodney?”

John grinned. “It _is_ a long story, but the short version is – Rodney, Teyla, Ronon and I went on a quest, we found the ZPM, this is Radek, he’s a dragon, and Rodney and I are getting married.”

The queen’s eyes widened, then she laughed. “I can’t wait to hear the rest of it. Apparently, we have plenty of time.”

*

“The schedule of patrols shouldn’t change while I’m gone,” said John. “The Wraith activity has been light recently, but if you should need me, Rodney will have his scrying mirror and—”

“Sir, please, just _go_.” Lieutenant Lorne, his second-in-command, looked a moment away from laughing. “We’ll be fine, I promise.”

John ducked his head, smiling. “Sorry. I know you know what you’re doing, Lorne.”

“Thank you, sir. Enjoy your honeymoon.”

“I—”

“Sheppard!” Rodney had already mounted his horse, waiting impatiently at the palace gate. “You were the one who said we were leaving early.”

“Coming!” yelled John. “I just need to—”

“Go, John,” said a new voice. 

Elizabeth, cheeks flushed a healthy pink, walked across the courtyard, her hand resting lightly on Radek’s arm. A few weeks ago, she’d needed the support – the healing had not been able to restore the muscles lost due to inactivity – but now she was a strong and sturdy as ever. The dragon had been with her quite a bit since her recovery, both of them eager to learn about the other’s culture, and if John was reading things right, there might be another marriage in the not-too-distant future.

“Lieutenant Lorne will serve us well in your absence,” she said, “And your husband is waiting.”

“Husband,” John repeated, still pleased at the word. “Yes, ma’am.”

A stable boy held his horse, and he mounted easily, trotting over to where Rodney was waiting.

“Took you long enough,” the alchemist grumbled.

John grinned and sidled his horse closer. “We’ve got two whole weeks and a manor house to ourselves for me to make it up to you,” he said.

“We do,” Rodney said, brightening. “Come on, then.”

He kicked his horse to a trot, then a gallop, and John followed, laughing. 

THE END


End file.
